Who here feels that singles are still a relevant and important device for promoting an album?

Why do some artists release very few singles, or not always one of the better cuts from the album?

What is the future of the single? Has downloading whole albums made it irrelevant?

Do record labels control the issuing of singles too much?

I feel singles are important as little ambassadors for the album, but it should be the album that really gets the main promotional attention. The singles are only a part of the whole.

Your thoughts please.

Entirely important for the medium of popular music as most people still don't bother with downloading and radio stations like the choice of track to be made for them


Well better and more radio friendly don't necessarily mean the same thing. As to number of singles, it depends on the genre. With some bands they release one or maybe two singles just to let people know the album exists and with other acts the single market is where they make it (Britney etc.)

Don't forget that Britneys audience is mainly 8 year old girls who go and buy a single with pocket money. Without this market Britney et al would not have as strong a following.


Not at all. The single will continue to be a promotional tool to alert existence of the album unless radio stations get less lazy and that isn't going to happen. Don't forget not EVERYONE downloads music and believe it or not, not EVERYONE has access to a computer even.


That's a much bigger debate. The artist would choose their best track according to them but the track they choose may require 20 listens to really sink in. They'll have heard it hundreds of times and won't have that perspective.

Plus the artists sometimes chooses the track they're most proud of. Not neccessarily the best as it might have a mongolian nose flute and multiple time changes and they're proud of their achievement. Doesn't make it the best.

The record company will generally test it through a few people on one listen and make the decision from there. It all depends really.

Keef - I agree with your view on the nature and future of the single in music.

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What is the future of the single? Has downloading whole albums made it irrelevant? [/quote]

Not at all. The single will continue to be a promotional tool to alert existence of the album unless radio stations get less lazy and that isn't going to happen. Don't forget not EVERYONE downloads music and believe it or not, not EVERYONE has access to a computer even.

I agree. I have never downloaded anything myself, but I suppose i'm old fashioned that way. I believe in fairness and paying the artist for the pleasure their music gives the ears. I don't even have the internet on my computer at home, I use other computers that do, so downloading music isn't really an option for me. I read somewhere that the CD single would be phased out in the UK in something like 3 years time. Do you know anything about this? I've been a music fan a while asnd have actually only bought one single so far. More into full albums, and I would buy that first if I liked the artist, before the single.

apart from the fact that people who download whole albums are idiots, i think singles will always be around for one reason: they make you shitloads of money. without in da club 50 cent wouldn't have sold half as many albums, and the same with avril lavigne's sk8er boi and even norah jones' don't know why.

white noise> the singles charts mean sweet fuck all in the uk at the moment, while its still a great selling point for your record if the single goes to no.1, artists who depend on singles revenue for income will soon be on the dole. and looking at the charts now id like to get rid of them, eamon and frankee have held the no.1 spot for two months now combined, all because they have potty mouths. lets give credit to the ARTISTS

"white noise> the singles charts mean sweet fuck all in the uk at the moment, while its still a great selling point for your record if the single goes to no.1, artists who depend on singles revenue for income will soon be on the dole. and looking at the charts now id like to get rid of them, eamon and frankee have held the no.1 spot for two months now combined, all because they have potty mouths. lets give credit to the ARTISTS".

I agree that the singles chart, most especially in the UK has become almost valurless especially when complete pap like eamon and frankee can get to the top of it. Just goes to show the British music buying public don't have a clue when it comes to what genuine, good music from REAL artists is, and not just some tired and patronising attempt to cash in with little replies full of needless strong language. I agree I hope thse people are on the dole queue so the music charts can at least represent true artists again.

When you look back to the eighties it was probably the last time a single took about five months to get to the top of the chart, especially the Billboard Hot 100 in America, which is a much better sign of how sales are going. Also, artists stayed on the chart and held their positions for much longer than they do now. I suppose the fact that a single can get to the top of the chart in a week of release with a few thousand sales in the UK reflects our disposable society, and how people are always looking for the 'next new thing' instead of tapping into true established artists who have proved their worth with actual sales.

The Eamonn/Frankee thing is a triumph of marketting. I have no doubt that both were aware of the other doing the single and they may have written it together. Why? Because it sells.

This is like the Blur/Oasis war but rather than it being about music (as the tune is identical - another proof that it's a marketting gimmick, if he wrote the tune he could sue her for stealing the music if he didn't want her to use it)

So this is a more pure and fundamental war, the battle of the sexes. All the chavscum boys are buying Eamonns record and getting behind them and all the chav bitches are buying Frankees.

So marketting genius.

Yes, of course it is all about marketing and making a pile of money, but if people want to attack each other they should take an ad out in the paper or something and give our ears a rest. The whole thing is just so tacky and contrived, but you are of course correct - it polarises opinion behind either one or the other and most of all - it sells in a big way. This doesn't mean it is good music, however, just an attempt to cash in on something which could just as well not have happened. In a way I suppose it is almost an abuse of the singles industry, using the medium against itself. I'm sure it is neither the first or last time, though, and it will also help the album even if no other singlers were to be released.

Oh no, don't get me wrong I hate it and I think the music is awful, I just admire the audacity!

That's OK. You can admire someone's nerve without actually liking them. Knew you had too much taste to like it anyway!